In recent months of sexual harassment protests and the resulting #MeToo movement, certain key points often get lost in the mix of controversial media coverage.

One key issue that’s often overlooked is the degree to which women can feel – because of long-standing gender imbalances in certain professions – outnumbered, unwelcome or at an automatic disadvantage when it comes to job opportunities, compensation and advancement.

In the Greater Knoxville / Oak Ridge areas, our regional community is fortunate to have many employers and career opportunities in the STEM fields – which is one of the sectors nationwide that struggles mightily with gender diversity.

Eileen Pollack’s 2013 New York Times column, “Why Are There Still So Few Women in Science?” provided a detailed glimpse at the real-life experience of women attempting to enter STEM fields in recent decades.

Pollack wrote that in the summer of 2012, “researchers at Yale published a study proving that physicists, chemists and biologists are likely to view a young male scientist more favorably than a woman with the same qualifications. Presented with identical summaries of the accomplishments of two imaginary applicants, professors at six major research institutions were significantly more willing to offer the man a job. If they did hire the woman, they set her salary, on average, nearly $4,000 lower than the man’s. Surprisingly, female scientists were as biased as their male counterparts.”

Aside from these specific types of barriers to entry, overlay one or more sexual harassment experiences into women’s early-career efforts in a male-dominated sector, and employers in that field might expect disruptions with female talent exiting in early to mid-career (among the conservative numbers who might have fought tooth-and-nail for an initial foothold in the first place).

March is Women’s History Month, and as social media streams stories of women who blazed trails in their fields regardless of the challenges, it’s an opportune time for STEM employers to take stock of how they’re doing in gender diversity and whether improvement might be warranted for their own organization.

Reach girls early

Until sixth grade, girls are as equally interested in science and math as boys, but in middle school their interest and scores wane. This is an opportunity for the public and private sectors to come together to create more events like Girls Who Code, on-site career day visits, science academies and programs that pair female scientists with girls interested in STEM careers for mentoring.

ORNL's Bill McClintic, left, demonstrates a science project with Alcoa City Schools students on STEM Day March 10, 2017 at Alcoa High School.(Photo: Submitted)

Reimagine job descriptions

According to Industry Week, chemical company BASF has done an excellent job highlighting the collaborative and problem-solving aspects of STEM as an attempt to increase the number of women and Millennials attracted to those jobs. By reimagining job descriptions and using more inclusive language, companies are apt to attract a wider talent pool.

Work towards a culture shift to enhance retention

In order for transformational change to occur regarding female advancement in STEM careers, the culture must reflect an environment where women are valued and treated equally. Women cite lack of authority and gender stereotypes as two main barriers to career success and satisfaction in STEM fields. These red flags threaten to undermine the longevity of women in STEM.

Promote your success stories

Highlight women in your organization and make them brand ambassadors. Invest in her involvement outside of the company and give her time to represent your company throughout the community with an eye toward attracting more women like her.

Kelly Fletcher is CEO of Fletcher Marketing PR (Twitter: fletcherPR), a full-service communications firm focused on marketing to highly specific groups of women. She can be reached at kfletcher@fletchermarketingpr.com.